Link-operating mechanism for locomotives.



J. HANK. LINK OPERATING MECHANSM FOR LOCOMOTIVES. APPLICATION FILED 1AN.27. 1913.

. Lll, Patented May 25, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

u w/ Y i Hf w 229 3839 l0 Y l l w u F /4/ l l2 I ,27 #i V8 I if? o o o o onnnnnn Humm nnnummn g@ 30 j 333 H/ 6 gm I0 4 f i Fiyi /I y t J. RANK.

LINK OPERATING MECHANISM FOR LOCOMOTIVES. APPLICATION mso JAN. 27.' 1913.

Patented May 25, 191.5.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse of; Fig. `3 is a perspective -35 are horizontal sections .To all whom t may coaoern:

Be it known thatI,

JOHN RANK, OF OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON.

Specification of Letters Patent.

LINK-OPERATING MECHANISM FQR LOCOMOTIVES.

Patented May 25, 1915;

Application led January 27, 1913. Serial No. 744,389.

a citizen JOHN RANK,

of the United States, and a resident of Olympia, of vVashingtom have i'n the county ofThurston, State invented a new and useful Link-Operating Mechanism for Locomotives, of which fication.

This invention rela the following is a specites to the mechanism for operating the controlling links of a steam vengine and has speclal reference to locomotive engines.

The objects. of this invention are to provide an apparatus which is completely under the control of the engineer and means of which he may shift the position of the link mechanism of it without having to in whatever position his engine to control apply a great force thereto; ywhich will immediately lock itself it may be in as soon as he removes his hand from the controlling lever; which Will indicate the exact relative position of the link 1n and which is strong,

echanismat all times; effective anddurable in form and arrangement.

I attain these and other objects by the devices, mechanisms, and arrangements illus# trated ."in the accompanying which-.Q

Figure 1 is a of the machine,

drawing, 'in

'vertical longitudinal section showing only one bar ofthe link operating mechanism of the eng1ne; v

clamp; Figs. l and 5 section there view of the v through the controlling valve showing lit sitions; Fig. 6

respectively in the valve mechanism through the indicating mechanism; and

the closed and operative po is a vertical section through-i g Fig. 47 is a section `lil-1g.

8 is an elevation of the indicating quadrant and pinion.

Similar numerals of reference refer to similar parts through out the several views.

The machine illustrated in the drawings is especially designed for use on locomotives i v-for the operation of the reach rod by which the valve motion of the engine is controlled through the links thereof but it may be arranged vfor other uses stance, the operation nism on a ship, the o ling mechanism on a as well, as for inof steering mechaperation of a controliying machine, or in fact the operation of any mechanism which and guided so as to have an axial or longiy .tudinal motion. n A carrier plate. or cross head f1 is secured to the bar l near the other end thereof and slides on a guide bar 5.

fixedly secured in the machine and parallel with the bar 1. The position of the bar 1 is therefore controlled by the cross head 4..

A cylinder 6 is mounted in the machine,

its axis parallel to that of the bar 1 having Aand gu1de5,"and has a'piston 7 therein,

which is connected to the cross head 4: by means of a piston rod 8, as shown in the drawings. vThe piston 7 may either by air pressureor steam the cylinder. The pressure on either side of the piston is controlled by means of a valvefromI which a pipe 9 leads to the rear endv of the cylinder and a pipe l0 leads to i the` front end thereof. Pressure pipes 11 lead from the source of pressure supply (steam or air) to the' valve, and exhaust pipes 12 lead therefrom as needed. The valve 13'is a cylindrical body, or is preferably slightly tapered, and fits snugly Within the valve casing 14. This casing has four passages lying inthe same plane and ranged equidistantly around it, into which the said pipes 9, 10, 11 and 12 are secured.

The ports of the pipes 9 and 10 are opposite each other and lead directly throughthe casing 14 to the valve 13. 'The ports' for the pipes 11 and-12 are also opposite each other and 4they -are provided with circumferential cavities adjacent the valve 13 and leading on each side'of the port toward the ports of the pipes 9 and 10. The valve 13 is provided with a handle 15 by means of which it may be turned on its axis within the casing 14. Two sets 'of passages in the valve 13 and extend to diametrically opposite points and are adapted to register 16 are formed be operated pressure lin .i y eo ari s while the front end thereof is connected to the exhaust, thus causing the piston to travel forward, and that if the valve is reversed in position the pressure will be brought to the front end and the rear end will be exhausted thus causing the piston to travel rearward.

Now, in order to hold the bar l in any desiredposition, so that the vibration of the engine or machinery will not displace it, I

rovide a clamp which ut which is released hand is applied to the operating handle of the valve. lThis clamp is set by the pressure of the air or steam and is released as soon as the said pressure is withdrawn. The pressure is controlled by means of a double faced valve 17 mounted on a long stem.18 which passes through the center of the valve 13 and extends above the top thereof. A handle v19 is pivoted to the handle y15 above described in such a way as toalways lie when the engineers above it and so that both handles will be a simultaneously grasped by thev engineer when controlling the mechanism. A spring 20 raises the handle 19 slightly when the weight of the engineers hand is removed X therefrom. The handle 19 presses down on the end of the valve stem 18 and moves it downward when the cngineers hand is applied thereto. The double faced valve 17 is mounted between two opposite seats 21l and 22 in such a manner that normally, when the engineers hand is removed from the handle 19, the v'alve 17 engages the seat 21 and this opens the passage through the seat 22 thus connecting the inlet pipe 11 (which also leads to this part of the Valve mechanism) with the clutch pipe 23,l but when the engineer grasps the handles 15 and 19, the valve 17 islowered to its seat 22, thus closing connection between the pipes 11 and 23, but opening connection between the pipes 23 and 12, which also communicates with this part of the valve mechanism through the seat 2] and leads to the exhaust. A cylinder 24 is mounted in vertical position on thc frame 3 and has a piston 25 therein, said piston being pressed downward by a spring 26 above it, but upward under the pressure of the air or steam delivered below it through the pipe 23. The piston rod 27 passes downward out of the cylinder 24 and has a forked head 428 at its lower end, said head spanning the bar 1 as shown in is normally in action -29 and 30 mounted above and below the bar 1, respectively, and prevented from longitudinal motion by the frame 3 in which they are mounted, said blocks being drawn toward each other bv means of the pairs of loops 31 and 32 which pass above and below them respectively. The ends of the two loops 3l are secured to the outer ends of four levers 33. The ends of the two loops 32 are secured to an intermediate point in each of said levers 33. The inner ends of said levers 33'are all secured to the ends of the forked head 28 of the piston rod. Thus when the piston 28 is down, the pressure below it having been reduced by the engineer in grasping the handle 19, the said levers 33 are inclined so as to release any strain on the loops 31 and 32, freeing the bar l from any gripping action of the blocks 29 and 30; but when th the inner ends of the levers 33 and clamps the, blocks 29 and 30 tightly on the bar 1 and since the blocks cannot move because of l.

the frame 3, the said'bar is held firmly` in whatever position it might be in.A LIfhis position is indicated to the engineer/by means of a rack 34, cut' in the bar l, operating a gear 35 mounted adjacent to it, said gear operating a beveled pinion 36, suitbly located, and engaging a quadrant gear 37 (Fig. 7). This axle 38, to the other end of which a pointer 39 is secured. A suitably marked card 40 is mounted adjacent to the pointer. It is evident that as the bar 1 moves longitudinally, it will turn the gears 35, 36 and 37 proportionately to the distance and in the direction moved and that therefore the pointer 39 will move over theiscale card 40 a corresponding proportionate distance.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

l. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a bar adapted to be actuated longitudinally through a frame; of clamp blocks confined from longitudinal motion by the frame, said blocks being on opposite sides of and adapted to en age the bar; oppositely acting loops engagmg said blocks and adapted to draw them into clamping contact -with the bar; and Huid pressure actuated means whereby said loops are actuated. 2. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a bar adapted to be actuated longitudinally through a frame; of clamp blocks confined from longitudinal motion by the frame, said blocks being on opposite sides of and adapted to engage the bar; oppositely acting loops engaging said blocks and adapted to draw them into clamping contact with the bar; a cylinder;

gear 37 ismounted on an 1,140,481 I v a e piston therein 'connected to said loops compressed and the loops are actuated to whereby the clamping pressure of the loops clamp the bar. s

is determined by the position of the piston'; ,p

a spring acting on the piston t'o release the 5 clamping pressure of the loops; and means Witnesses: i

for admitting fluid pressure on the opposite E. N. STEELE,

side of the piston whereby the spring is GEO. L. VAN ANTWERP.

JOHN RANK.' 

